


Parbaked My Ass

by SaritaPDX



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, M/M, Tim Hortons, baking au, bitwell, misspelled name tag, parbaked, zimbits - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-30 23:29:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10887144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaritaPDX/pseuds/SaritaPDX
Summary: •	Tim Horton’s AU in which they lost the lawsuit dismissed in 2012 forcing them to go back to baked in-store   Doughnuts.•	Bad Bob Zimmerman takes this very seriously.•	Enter one Eric Bitwell, or at least that’s what his nametag says...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> -Happy Birthday Kit. This sloppy piece of 2am writing is for you-

Jack fumbled with the keys. It was only 5 AM and most of the world was still asleep. Tomorrow was the grand opening of his fathers new Tim Horton’s and Jack was supposed to meet him at the store today to help set everything up. If Jack had decided to come in extra early to appreciate the empty store one last time, well, that was up to him. 

The lock finally clicked open and Jack felt a zing of pleasure as the little bell tinkled above him. He took a deep breath, expecting the smell of freshly cut wood and paint, but instead was overwhelmed with the smell of bread. Jack frowned and looked to the back of the shop. There was a light on and a trickle of pop music playing. 

“Hello?” He called out.

Someone yelped, something banged, and suddenly a little blonde kid emerged from the kitchen. There was a smear of flour on his cheek and his hands were wringing a dishtowel.

“Hey! I’m sorry I didn’t realize anyone else was going to be coming in so early. I haven’t met any of the other bakers yet. My name is Eric.” The kid stuck out a hand for Jack to shake.

“Um…I’m not a baker.” He said stupidly. The kid was real cute and kind of nervous-awkward in a very endearing way. 

Eric flushed pink immediately and his eyes widened with recognition. 

“Oh my lanta! You must be Jack! Mr. Zimmerman told me he would be in with his son closer to 8! I just wasn’t expecting anyone for hours, I only just got started!” 

As soon as he started speaking he started to bustle around. He hopped the counter in one smooth movement and began pulling things out of the espresso station. 

“Let me at least make you a cup of coffee or something! I was planning on having a whole spread of breakfast ready for the crew for today.”

The kid had quickly turned into a whirlwind of small talk and coffee. If Jack weren’t so annoyed the shop wasn’t empty, he would probably have found it endearing…unfortunately, annoyed trumped endearing.

“No thank you” He said a little to sharply. He pulled his protein shake out of his backpack and sat down. Eric eyes widened and he froze. “You can just go back to work” Jack turned away and waited for the kid to leave. When he didn’t go away immediately he took out his laptop and put his headphones back in for good measure. 

Jack eventually glanced up. Eric had a disappointed look on his face as he replaced the coffee and walked back to the kitchen. Jack felt something drop in his gut. This kid couldn’t be older then 17. It made Jack think back to when he was 17… he flinched and took a deep breath, he had made it through rehab and had gotten picked up by the Falconers after only 2 years at Samwell. But… 17 wasn’t exactly easy… maybe he should try to make nice. 

The music in the back started again and he could faintly hear Eric singing along to it. Maybe he would try to talk to him again later.

 

Later turned out to be the next day for the grand opening. Everyone was exhausted but the first day had been a huge success. Jack hadn’t expected to run into him since he was the baker and would only be there in the early morning but round 2pm. His dad pulled him from an interview he was doing with some TV crew.

“Jack! I think this is the only new recruit you haven’t met yet! This is our new baker Eric!”

“Hey Jack” Eric said softly. He didn’t look at Jack when he said his name. The hand he held out for Jack to shake was lacking all the confidence of the day before. 

“Nice to see you again Eric, sorry I surprised you yesterday.” Eric afforded him a tiny smile that looked more like a grimace.

“Its okay.” He glanced around. “I’m going to see if my aunt found a parking spot. Nice to see you both.” And with that he ducked away from the two of them. Jack tried to look for a quick getaway too… but didn’t quite make it.

“Jack!” Bob said. “What did you say to that boy yesterday?”

“Nothing really” Jacks brow furrowed “I was surprised he was here when I got here. I didn’t really feel like making friends.”

Bob sighed. “Jack that kid’s had it rough. He said in his interview he just moved here from Georgia for his senior year of high school. He wouldn’t say exactly why he moved but whatever it was must have been rather nasty, he was really uncomfortable when I asked him. He lives with his aunt. Apparently he moved in with her for a shot at the hockey team at the high school.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Jack was starting to get annoyed. 

“Just you can be a bit intimidating when you’re in one of you moods. Try and make nice with the kid. I mean your three years older and a whole foot taller… go easy.” He patted Jack on the arm and disappeared into the crowd. 

 

Jack didn’t see Eric again until he was about to leave for Providence. He couldn’t stop thinking about the hurt and nervous expression he had when Jack had seen him last. He jogged around the corner of his dads shop and shoved a key in the lock. 

“Hey its Jack!” He called out loudly. 

The music from the back was paused and the door to the kitchen swung open slowly. Sure enough Eric came nervously walking out from the back. He was wearing a new apron. It had Tim Horton’s Best Baker embroidered on the front, and a nametag that read Eric Bitwell. 

“Hey Jack…” He looked hesitant to say anything else, though Jack saw his eyes flash to the coffee pot.

“A cup of coffee might be nice.” Jack tried to make it sound nice and warm, not like a demand. 

Eric looked up and smiled a little. “Yeah, sure” He started making the coffee as Jack sat down.

Shit, Jack was really bad at small talk. “Euh…so… you play hockey?” 

Eric looked up surprised “yeah, I played for a co-ed league in Georgia. How did you know that?”

“Papa said something.”

“Oh… “ Eric walked over with a full cup of black coffee. “I would offer you cream and sugar but something tells me you’re on some sort of NHL diet so…” Eric trailed off nervously. 

Jack couldn’t leave with this kid still terrified with him, so he tried one more time. 

“Eric.” Eric looked up at his name. “I’m sorry if I scared you when we first met. I’m not really good with people. You seem like a nice guy, I just…” Jack sighed, “Anyway, I didn’t really want to leave before apologizing right…” 

Jack stared into his coffee. That was so dumb. Why did he have to be so awkward, he should have just left well enough alone.

Silence stretched between them until Jack finally chanced looked up. Eric was smiling down at him and … wow wasn’t that something.

“Well Mr. Zimmerman! I suppose I will have to forgive you. You making a special trip down to the store and all, I might even forgive the terrible way you drink your coffee. 

Jack smiled and Eric beamed back at him. Suddenly Jack wished he had come in and to talk to Eric sooner.


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey its Jack!” Eric’s Stomach flipped over every time he heard those words.

Jack had made a habit of coming into visit Eric every time he was in town, which wasn’t often. Eric had started picking up extra shifts over holidays just to try and run into him more. They didn’t talk about much, mostly hockey but it was nice, and to be honest Eric hadn’t had so many nice experiences with guys like Jack.

“Jack!” Eric turned down his music and ran into the front room. “Merry Christmas! Do you want a doughnut? I already have the first batch! I did the maple ones first…I kind of hoped you might come in.” 

“Hey Eric.” Jacks small smile crept onto his face. “I suppose Christmas Eve counts as a cheat day.”

“It absolutely does!” Eric affirmed bringing him a doughnut and a cup of coffee. They never talked about much, but it was pleasant and it always made Eric’s insides warm. 

“How’s hockey. Did you make varsity?” Jack asked.

“At first” Eric fidgeted “They bumped me down to JV after they learned I can’t take a check…luckily my coaches are really understanding. They told me if I improve by spring term they might bump me up for the finals. They let me practice with both teams, I’m the fastest player we got.” His cheeky grin returned at that comment.

Jack smiled. “That’s good. You want to play in college?”

“Oh lord no! Not you too!!! Do not make me think about that! How about you? I have been watching all your games. You look great out there.” 

“Its good” Jack said simply. “Everyone is really nice. I hope we go far this year.” He paused “Can I come watch you bake for a bit? You can show me more Rihanna.”

Eric sighed dramatically. “BEYONCE! Jack I was showing you BEYONCE!”

Eric catches Jack’s sly smile one more time as they disappear into the kitchen. 

 

The Falconers don’t make the playoffs. Jack got injured with a bad wrist sprain the game before their last. He tries not to blame himself; he was out for only one game, even if it was the game that mattered. 

He barely thought about going to visit his parents at all that summer. He just wrapped himself up in training harder and harder. Finally his mom has had enough.

“I don’t care what your doing, you are coming home for at least a week!”

Jack packed for a week and left obediently. The fresh Canadian air hit him like a new beginning and he sighed happily. Why hadn’t he come home sooner? 

“Hey its Jack!” Jack hadn’t had time to visit the shop for the better part of the week. His plane left in a few hours but he wanted to see Eric before he left. Instead a petite brunet peaked her head through the kitchen door.

“Jack Zimmerman!!! Oh my gosh, what can I get you! I only have the old fashioned ones ready I’m so sorry.” 

Jack stopped short. “Where is Eric?” Jack had never met another single employee at his fathers Tim Hortons… unless you count the grand opening, which was nothing but a blur of names and faces.

“Eric left for college yesterday. I’m his replacement.”

“Oh…Euh…” Jacks heart sank. He shouldn’t be so disappointed. Eric and him weren’t really friends, but he felt his mood darken.

“Thanks anyway, I have a flight to catch.” 

He ducked out the door leaving a very confused baker behind him.

_______________________________________________________________________

They didn’t meet again until the following summer. 

Jack remembered how nice it had been to be home and devoted two weeks to being in town. The first morning there he actually enjoyed his run. He watched the sun come up behind the trees and decided to run a bit further and make it to his fathers Tim Hortons for a cup of coffee. As he ran around the building he heard Beyonce trickling out a side door and a very familiar voice singing. No way he thought to himself. It was worth a chance.

He opened up the front door. The music was loud enough that the bell went unnoticed. Jack smiled as he crept through the shop to the kitchen. There was one Eric Bitwell. He had gotten a haircut and had bulked up a lot. He had filled into his body and was all long lean muscle. His smile was blinding in a way Jack had never seen before and he just stood with his hand on the doorknob for a second… when Eric turned and saw him through the little window in the door. 

“Aaaaahhhhhhhh” He practically fell over bringing a large bowl of dry ingredients tumbling down with him. “JACK LAURENT ZIMMERMAN I WILL KILL YOU”

Jack chuckled and opened the door “Hey its Jack.”

Eric shot him what would have been an absolute death glare if he weren’t so obviously please to see Jack. It was pretty adorable. Sprawled out on the floor, covered in flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and sugar the little baker made no move to get up.

“Euh…sorry about that, need a hand?” Jack was pretty sure his ears were turning red.

“Ill have you know it takes me at least 30 minutes to clean this floor when I leave on a NORMAL day. I don’t care if you’re the bosses son the broom is over there mister!” 

Jack had never enjoyed being yelled at so much in his life.

 

Their routine continued for the rest of Jack’s time in Canada. Each morning Jack would come in after his run and chat with Eric. Then he would help sweep up to make up for being a distraction. It was nice.

Jack learned Eric was just there for the summer. Bad Bob had worked out a deal with him so he could make some money in the summers when he wasn’t away at college. Jack couldn’t get Eric to tell him where he went to school though. 

“Jaaaccckkkkkk…. If I knew you were watching my games I would flub every pass! I can’t deal with that kind of pressure, who do you think I am!?”

Jack pouted, “You get to watch my games.”

“You’re a professional NHL player! How about this, when I am a professional NHL player then you can watch me play too, okay?”

Jack growled and made to stomp after Eric who yelped and ran to the front room. Jack smiled and chuckled shouting after him.

“You can’t make the NHL unless you eat more protein Eric!”


	3. Chapter 3

Jack had always liked routine. After three years of summers in Montreal with Eric he had almost started to look forward to the end of the season. As he boarded his flight his thoughts drifted back to his team. Thirdy and his wife were expecting a baby, Shitty and Lardo had finally gotten together, and Tater was becoming weirdly secretive about his text messages. Jack had been thinking more and more about his future. He had gotten the A and his team had won their first Stanley. It might be time to start thinking about life outside of hockey.

Jack looked out the window into the fluffy clouds. There was a long time where Jack had written off Eric as anything more than a friendly acquaintance. He was just a teenager when they had met and they never saw each other more than a few weeks every year. But when Jack started to think about dating again his mind always drifted back to the bouncy personality of Eric Bitwell. He could do it. Ask for his number, or even ask him on a date. Yeah, he could do that….

 

The next day Jack rounded the corner to the Zimmerman’s Tim Hortons. He was bubbling with nervous energy. He had taken the long route to the store. He couldn’t shake the nerves he had. He had missed Eric and was looking forward to seeing him but he also was planning to invite him out to dinner. 

He knew something was wrong as soon as he noticed there was no music coming from a side door. He hesitated before opening the front door. Why go in if Eric wasn’t there? Maybe he could ask the baker inside if Eric was working on a different day that week. He put the key in the lock then paused. He really didn’t want to go in to find Eric wasn’t there. He could just run by later that week and look for him. 

Jack ran by every day for a month. Every morning he was disappointed. The day before he was scheduled to go back to Providence he worked up his courage to peak in the side window. The little redheaded kid kneading dough couldn’t have been older than 17 and was absolutely not Eric. 

Jack’s heart sunk. Part of him had been holding onto the idea that Eric would suddenly show up. It was a sad and disheartened Jack that went back to Providence. 

 

“Jacky-boy!!!!” Shitty’s voice rang out loud on the other end of the phone.

“Hey Shits” Jack chuckled.

“Brahhhhhh my two favorite NHL stars are playing in the same game and I HAVE to see it in person!”

“Are you looking for tickets to the game against the Mapleleafs by chance?” Jack smiled. Shitty had been dropping hints about this game for weeks. “One of the Samewell kids that joined after I left right?”

“Jack man! I keep forgetting you haven’t met Bits!! How is this possible? I have been remiss as a friend. He is the best. The Mapleafs better know how lucky they are to have him as a Rookie!”

“Ill take your word for it. Ill make sure I get tickets for you and Lardo. We can all go out after we beat your friend.” Jack allowed himself a smirk. 

“You just wait Zimmerman! Bits is the fastest player I have ever seen. YOU WILL SEE!!” 

“Bye Shitty”

“Bye you beautiful hockey fucker”

Jack couldn’t help but grin as he hung up the phone. He had heard a lot about Shitty’s friend Bitty over the years. It would be nice to put a name to the face. 

 

Jack felt a deep breath of cold air rush through his nose, down his body, and into his gut. The smell of ice calmed his nerves and the cold woke up his senses. As he skated over to center ice number fifteen caught his eye for a second. A flash of blond hair and a cheeky smile…no, must have been a trick of the light. 

Jack put on his game face as he squared up for the face off. Nothing existed beyond this moment. They won the face off and raced down the rink. Jack glanced over looking for a pass but everywhere he looked number 15 was there.   
He was fast. Jack couldn’t really see his face but in the second period he heard a smug chuckle as 15 ducked out from under Taters defense and raced towards Jack.

Jack lost the puck. 

He knew that laugh. Jack was now starting to get confused. Why was 15 so familiar. The name on his back read Bittle. 

Oh… that was Shitty’s friend right? Maybe he had heard him in the background before? Maybe Shitty had Skyped him while Bittle talked in the other room. Jacks brow furrowed as the game pushed on. The Falconers ended up winning 3-2. But it wasn’t an easy win.

Jack hurried to get dressed and cleaned up. Something told him that his recognition of Eric Bittle had to be more than just background noise on a phone call. He was trying desperately to place those laughs, that smirk…

“Hey its Jack.” 

Jack looked up at his name. He hadn’t realized he had been walking without looking where he was going. Leaning up against the wall was none other then Eric Bitwell. They hadn’t seen each other for two years but suddenly all the air had been pushed out of Jack’s chest. 

Eric was leaning easily up against the wall. If he had been filled out the last time Jack had seen him, it was nothing to what the NHL had done. Eric was made of lean muscle and confidence. His head was tilted in a cocky sassy way that had only been hinted at in previous years. His black shirt clung to him in all the right ways and his tight jeans made Jacks mouth dry.

“Eric?” 

Eric smiled at what must have been a look of complete and utter bewilderment and shock on Jack’s face. 

“Long time no see. I did say you could watch one of my games when I was in the NHL. Not that I thought that would ever actually happen at the time.”

Jack was frozen his mouth slightly open. 

“did I break you?” Eric asked. He had started walking over to Jack and Jack didn’t know what to do about that. 

“Euh…so…you play hockey?” he managed.

“Yeah Jack.” Eric had moved into Jacks space. Jack could feel the heat from his compact frame. Eric put a hand on his hip and flipped his hair to the side; it was still wet from his shower. “I play hockey, however did you guess.”

“Lucky…” and with that Jack closed the gap between them and his mind turned off. He pulled Eric towards him by the waist, tilted his head and kissed him. Eric gasped in surprise before quickly wrapping his arms around Jack’s neck. It was everything he hoped it would be. Eric smelled like vanilla and cinnamon and like summers in Canada. He tasted like maple syrup and apples and Jack was in heaven. He was in heaven because Eric was kissing him back. 

Jack had forgotten they were in the tunnel but was suddenly brought back to a sharp reality when he heard a loud whooping and cheering behind him. Thirdy, Tater, and Snowy had stumbled upon Jacks little make-out with Eric…. wait. 

Jack broke this kiss abruptly. “Wait your name is Eric Bitwell! Why does your jersey say Bittle?” Jacks head was suddenly swimming with connections, and questions. Was Shittys friend Bitty really Eric all along?

Eric’s face was flushed red, eyes still partially closed, and lips puffy and red from Jacks surprise kiss. “Wha?... Oh that.” Eric giggled. I didn’t have the heart to tell Bad Bob Zimmerman that he had spelled my name wrong. I just kept the nametag. I didn’t realize I never told you that.” His brow furrowed. “That actually explains a lot. I was really confused how you never realized I was Shittys friend.” He blushed “I thought you just didn’t really remember me but that obviously isn’t true.”

Jack kissed him again to make it as clear as possible that he absolutely did remember him.

 

Jack and Bitty came out of the tunnel laughing. Jacks arm was slung around Eric’s shoulders and had slung both their bags over his back. The look of surprise on Shitty’s face was priceless. 

“Wait you two know each other!”

Jack smiled down at the ball of sunshine he had under his arm.

“Yeah” Jack said, “We sure do”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Come visit me @sass-splash on Tumblr!!

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is fully outlined so I hope to post again tomorrow!! Don't worry Bitty's parents still love him. He just wasn't happy in Georgia.


End file.
